In this article we will review what business citations are and how they are valuable to improving your overall organic and map ranking.
Google's main job is to provide accruate answers to those who are searching. As soon as people begin to get misinformation, they will turn to another source. When it comes to a local business there are a few items that are critical to being correct.
- Name
- Address
- Phone
In the SEO world, we call this the NAP. Businesses will often change their address, phone number and sometimes their name throughout the life of the business. Online business directories will use the various updates and it causes confusion to Google. In essence Google does not know what is most accurate. Even the smallest difference can cause issues such as initials, format of the phone number, etc.
If Google sees ANY hint of confusion, it will rank your competition higher than your business. Business citations are used to populate the internet with the correct information. The more directories and websites that have the same NAP, the higher you'll rank. When a business changes any of it's NAP, it's important to update any and all of the business directories you can find.